The NFL on Monday and Tuesday provided what, for it, was rare excitement and surprise brought about by blockbuster trades in the final hours approaching the league’s trade deadline, which came Tuesday at 4 p.m. EDT. You know, the kind of fervour NHL teams used to provide every trade-deadline day in March but don’t anymore, and which we hardly have ever seen in the NFL on its mid-season trade-deadline day.

Who were the big winners? Well, as in all leagues, when a proven player is traded for a future draft pick(s), the hands-down, short-term winner always is the team acquiring said player. So no need to debate who won the NFL’s five just-in-time swaps.

We can, though, take a deeper look into how each trade partner is impacted, in order of trade magnitude:

1) GAROPPOLO TO NINERS

San Francisco 49ers get: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, a three-year backup who sparkled in two career starts for New England in 2016.

New England Patriots get: 2018 second-round draft pick.

San Fran impact: The Niners have their QB of the future. Why Garoppolo? The Niners had been on course to land a Top 3 draft pick, as they’re 0-8 and just promoted a middle-round rookie QB (C.J. Beathard) to starter over struggling veteran Brian Hoyer. Clearly, first-year GM John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan preferred the proven commodity in Garoppolo over the dice-roll of even a Top 3 QB draft pick next April. As it is, the Niners can slowly work in Garoppolo and are smartly positioned for the future, with oodles of cap space (reportedly $100 million) to open the vault for Garoppolo before he becomes a free agent in March.

New England impact: GM/head coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday the Pats had gone as long as they could — two-and-a-half years — with what he called the best QB situation in the league: Tom Brady backed up by Garoppolo, an overachieving 2014 second-round pick. The Pats either could get compensation for Garoppolo now, or watch him leave for nothing as a free agent in March. “I felt like we rode it out as long as we could,” Belichick said. “We, over a period of time, explored every option possible to try to sustain it, but just at this point felt like we had to make a decision … The 49ers are getting a good player, and they’re getting a good person, and they’re getting a great teammate and they’re getting a good quarterback.” Who will back up Brady now? Look for the Pats to sign Hoyer, whom the Niners cut Monday night. Hoyer backed up Brady from 2009-11.

2) BROWN TO SEAHAWKS

Seattle Seahawks get: LT Duane Brown and a 2018 fifth-round draft pick. Brown is a 10th-year veteran who’s now 32. His three Pro Bowl invitations and first-team all-pro selection came early this decade, but he’s still one of the NFL’s better left tackles.

Houston Texans get: 2019 second-round draft pick, 2018 third-round draft pick. Originally Seattle’s backup CB Jeremy Lane was to be included but he failed a physical and remains a Seahawk.

Seattle impact: For three seasons, the Seahawks have had a screaming need for better offensive linemen. Finally, football czar and head coach Pete Carroll and his GM John Schneider have obtained a top-shelf talent to better protect QB Russell Wilson, and to open more and better holes in the run game. Seattle instantly becomes a more dangerous team on offence. Wilson even agreed to restructure his contract to create the needed cap space to accommodate Brown.

Houston impact: Brown held out all spring and summer, and just reported to the Texans a week ago. On Friday, Brown publicly slammed owner Bob McNair for his dumb comment about protesting NFL players: “We can’t let the inmates run the prison.” Brown had to go.

3) AJAYI TO EAGLES

Philadelphia Eagles get: RB Jay Ajayi, who out of nowhere became a star last season with three 200-yard games, 1,272 yards overall and eight TDs.

Dolphins get: 2018 4th-round draft pick.

Philadelphia impact: The league’s best team by record (7-1) now has a deep, dangerous backfield again, after multi-purpose man Darren Sproles was lost for the season in September. GM Howie Roseman told reporters Tuesday that LeGarrette Blount remains the starter, which came as a surprise. If so, expect Ajayi still to get ample carries. Although he’s just 24 and in his third year, buzz out of Miami is that Ajayi’s long-standing problems with his knees continued, and some there doubted he’d last the season. If, however, Ajayi passes his physical in Philly on Wednesday morning, consider (a) that a non-issue and (b) this a steal of a trade for Philly, which surrendered only a fourth-round pick for a solid contributor in a potential Super Bowl season.

Miami impact: The league’s worst offence just lost its starting running back, no matter much of a distracting or negative presence Ajayi might have been; he kept whining for more carries. Maybe it was because gallows humour seemed more appropriate than usual on Halloween, but Dolphins head coach Adam Gase quipped: “We’re trying to become the first team in NFL history to score less than zero points a game.” Damien Williams and Kenyan Drake are left to carry the ground load for Miami.

Buffalo impact: Finally, the new Bills brain trust of GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have tried the addition-by-addition approach, after three months of addition-by-subtraction. That is, of dumping talented players and being the better for it, by virtue of a better locker-room atmosphere and culture. Benjamin immediately becomes Buffalo’s most talented receiver, ahead of Jordan Matthews, rookie Zay Jones, Deonte Thompson and Andre Holmes. The 26-year-old is huge (6-foot-5, 245 pounds), has great hands and makes plays. This season he has 32 catches for 475 yards and two TDs. He might have had the best first season of any of the 2014 draft-class receivers, including Sammy Watkins (whom the Bills traded up to select No. 4 overall) and Odell Beckham Jr., as Benjamin caught 73 passes for 1,008 yards and nine TDs. But he blew out an ACL in training camp and missed all of the 2015 season. Last year, in a dismal offensive year for the Panthers, he caught 63 balls for 941 yards and seven scores.

New York Jets get: CB Rashard Robinson, a fourth-round draft pick from a year ago.

San Francisco 49ers get: 2018 fifth-round draft pick.

New York impact: Robinson struggled a year ago as a rookie but was seen as improving in Year 2. He’s reportedly better suited for the Jets’ press-man coverage preference.

San Francisco impact: At 0-8, it’s all about the future for the Niners. Clearly they felt Robinson wasn’t a fit for their short- or long-term plans, and if they could get almost what they spent to draft him, then why not.

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